In a watery world, the brightly colored clownfish swam leisurely past the glass, and Sakura pressed her palms against it in her eagerness.
"Hey, the fish here are really cute!" giggled Sakura, she moved to follow the fish as it swam on, Rika smiled at Tomoyo. "Sakura looks like
she's having fun." smilied Tomoyo. "I agree." smilied back Rika. "Sakura really loves athletic festivals and field trips." Tomoyo didn't bother
to nod, zooming in on Sakura as she puffed out her cheeks in imitation of the blowfish. The students of Tomoeda Elementary had been divided into
groups for the social studies field trip, and theirs had been sent to the aquarium.
"Guys, the penguin show is about to begin!" Chiharu called from the next room. "Okay!" Rika and Naoko answered, and turned toward her. Tomoyo
lowered her camera."Come on, Sakura, let's -" She cut off as someone streaked past her, so fast that it was a blur, and causing her hair to fly
up with a whoosh. Sakura came to a stop by Chiharu, then turned to look at the others impatiently.
"Come on, guys, hurry!" called out Sakura with her arm up waiting impatiently. "S-She's so quick," Rika commented, her eyes wide. Tomoyo just
giggled. "Penguins, penguins, penguins!" Sakura chanted in reply, turning to go up the escalator. Rika was at a loss, and could only repeat her
earlier comment. "Sakura looks like she's having fun."Sakura's Heart-Throbbing First Date.The lithe black and white birds whisked easily through the cold water, and then zoomed through the hoop held by the trainer. "Amazing!" Sakura
raved. "They're so amazing! She's so lucky. I want to swim with penguins too." "That's right, you're very good at swimming, Sakura." smilied
Tomoyo puttimg her camera down. The trainer held the hoop above the water, and one leapt through it. "Kawaii!" squealed Sakura.
Everyone in the crowd clapped as the trainer came to rest against the edge of the ice. She waved and smiled, then braced her hands against the
surface to push herself out of the water. Then, quite abruptly, she was pulled back underneath. It was so sudden that no one said anything, but
watched uneasily as she squirmed under the surface. There was nothing to be seen, and they were unsure if this was part of the act or not.
Finally the slim brunette managed to get her head clear and clawed at the ice. "My leg!" she cried out. Sakura tensed, suddenly noticing the
tiny whirlpool that had encircled her ankle. She was not the only who had spotted it, and with horror realized that one of the penguins was
swimming closer to investigate. "No don't, penguin!" she shrieked, fruitlessly. The force that had trapped the woman's leg moved to the bird,
and immediately the penguin was flapping and paddling spastically as it was dragged to the bottom. "No! Penguin!" It was going to drown, she
was sure, and Sakura found herself banging helplessly against the glass. "Sakura!" Tomoyo tried to grab her wrist, but Sakura only threw her
off, frustration in her eyes. "I have to save the penguin!" said Sakura. "What's going on?" asked a new feeder. The trainer looked up to see the
new feeder walking through the door, surprise all over his young face. "The penguin got caught in the whirlpool, but I can't save it!" the trainer
said.He nodded, and without another word dove right into the freezing water. Yes, there was something trapping the bird, although it was impossible to
see its source. Instead he plunged his hands into the melee and forced the bird free. The attack dissipated, and the bird paddled up to the surface
with a relieved squawk. Everyone sighed in relieve as Tomoyo and her friends sighed on her shoulder. Then, Sakura noticed who the new feeder was.
"Big Brother?" asked Sakura confused was a very confused look."Someone almost drowned!? You, Sakura!?" asked Kero. "No, Kero. You weren't really listening to me, were you?" He shrugged guiltily and flitted around
her head as she stirred a bowl at the kitchen counter. "I'm sorry. It's been a while since the last time everyone was gone, and I could leave your room,
so I'm a little restless. Come to think of it, you're right. There's no way you would drown, Sakura. You don't have much else beyond your athletic abilities, but -"
said Kero. "What do you mean, not much else?" Angrily she swiped at him with her mixing spoon. "I'm not making you hot cakes anymore." glared Sakura angerily.
"Oh, Sakura-sama..." he wheedled, knowing she would probably relent if he could turn the topic of conversation back away from him. He watched her pour the batter
into the pan and prepare to flip it. "It's even stranger to hear the one that almost drowned was a penguin." said Kero.
"Yeah. According to the adults, they were wondering if it was because the plug for the pool got accidentally pulled out." said Sakura as she finished flipping and placed the cakes
in a short stack on her plate, pouring on syrup. "But I don't think that's quite it. Here." She held up a forkful and he gulped down the offering enthusiastically. "I don't think it
was an accident like that. But more like - more like I know something about it." said Sakura. "Like when you're facing a Clow Card?" asked Kero with his mouth full of pancakes.
"Mm." nodded Sakura."Tadaima!" Her brother's voice carried clearly from the front hallway and Sakura jumped out of her chair. Oh no, he was home already? Kero was gobbling as much of her pancakes as he could,
and she grabbed him by the scruff of his neck before dashing to the stairs tossing him upward. "Kero, up to my room now! Hide!" She turned just in time and leaned nonchalantly against the
banister as her brother shuffled past. "W-Welcome home." laughed Sakura a little tired. "Yeah." said her brother boardily.
"Hey, Big Brother, you were at the aquarium today, right?" she trailed him into the kitchen, and he paused to rap his knuckles on the message board posted on the wall. "Wrote it down here."
said her brother. Sure enough, it announced Touya had school off and was working, and Sakura had her field trip. "But why were you there at the penguin show? What kind of work are you doing?"
asked Sakura. He was on his knees now, rummaging through the fridge for something to drink. "I feed the penguins." said Toya. "You're so lucky!" whined Sakura wishing she had that job.
"No, I'm not." he answered matter-of-factly before turning away from the fridge and moving toward the table. His tone took Sakura by surprise. "Why?" asked Sakura.
"Because." Touya said since he didn't have the words to explain it to her, and instead he snatched a bite of her freshly made pancakes, pulling the fork out of his mouth slowly and lovingly.
As expected, she forgot their conversation and leapt on him with flailing fists. "Hey! You're so mean! You ate without asking!" whined Sakura. "Those were the hot cakes that I bought with my allowance!"
cried Sakura as if her pathetic blows had any effect on him. She couldn't even reach up past his chest, and he gave a derisive snort before turning to call out to the front door. "Hey, what are you doing?
Hurry up and come in!" called Toya. Sakura froze, a familiar blush creeping to her cheeks. Could it be HIM?
"Sorry, sorry. I was taking off my shoes, and it took longer than I thought. Good afternoon, Sakura." Yukito paused in the doorway from the hall and bestowed his beautiful smile upon her.
"Y-yukito. Good Afternoon." smilied Sakura blushing. "Those look delicious. Sakura, you're a really good cook." smilied Yukito. Her cheeks warmed still further and she ducked her head.
"I'm not really that good." said Sakura looking down at her feet. "Yeah," Touya agreed. "She really isn't that good." His face contorted in pain as she brought her foot down on his. Before
he could retaliate, she'd turned back to Yukito. "Um..." started out Sakura. "Yes?" asked Yukito.
"If you don't mind, would you like some hot cakes?" asked Sakura blushing. "Is that all right? You bought those with your allowance, right?" asked Yukito bending down to her height.
"It's all right," she replied softly. "I'll bring it up to my brother's room in a minute." smiling Sakura cheerfully. "Thank you." said Yukito leaning closer to her. Sakura smilied
in delight, she was so happy. And with that one word, delivered with a pair of smiling brown eyes, Sakura no longer cared about Touya or anyone else. She was in a heaven
all of her own.After she had painstakingly prepared two dishes of pancakes and poured two glasses of milk tea, Sakura paused outside her brother's door. The tray was heavy and she didn't want to spill
anything by trying to knock. "I can't knock, what can I do?" whisphered Sakura. She was about to call out when Yukito opened the door and leaned down to take the tray. "Thank you for your troubles,
Sakura." smilied Yukito. "No, I -" blushed Sakura. "What, Sakura?" Touya looked up in surprise from his homework. "You were there?" asked Touya. Both of them turned curious eyes toward Yukito.
"Um, how did you know I was here, when I didn't knock?" she asked. he shrugged. "Just a hunch that you brought something for us, Sakura." And with that he winked. She smilied brightly.
Kero was sitting onthe edge of her bed, with his tail whipping back and forth. "Aquarium... water... Hmm." whisphered Kero to himself, His meditations were cut short by Sakura bursting into the
room and shutting the door behind her, then sinking down to the floor with a happy sigh. "Sakura? Hey, Sakura?" She was paying no attention to him at all, but gazing dreamily into thin air, a crimson
flush across her cheeks. "What in the world happened?" asked Kero. Without warning she grabbed him and hugged him close to her chest, ignoring his cries, and jumped to her feet to dance across the room.
"I'm so happy! Yu-ki-to-san!!!" smilied Sakura. Then, she collapsed against the pile of stuffed animals, and unsuccessfully he squirmed to escape her clutches. "Hey! What are you doing so lifeless like
this? What happened to your duties as Cardcaptor?" cried Kero. "Yukito, is so much better than cards," she murmured drowsily. "Hey now, are you fine with the idea of the penguins drowning again?" That got
her attention at last, and she sat up and released him. "No, I don't want that at all." said Sakura.
Kero crawled across the floorboards to sit on one of her slippers. "I thought I was gonna die," he muttered to himself. "But it might be a little tricky this time. Of course, I assume that both the trainer and
the penguin nearly drowned in water." said Kero crossing his arms thinking. "Mm." nodded Sakura. "And when it was happening, did you see who was trying to drown them, Sakura?" asked Kero. "No, I saw nothing. Just
water swirling about." said Sakura. "That's probably the water card. Watery." sighed Kero. "Just as I thought. So all I have to do is capture it and turn it back into a card!" smilied Sakura. "It won't be that easy,"
he cautioned. "Water inside water, you can't see Watery with your own eyes. Even if you could pull it out of the water, if it disperses into tiny pieces, you can't really control it. It's hard to capture things with
no solid shapes like water. Watery is one of the higher magic spells in the Clow Cards, too. The four basic elements of earth, water, fire, and wind are rather difficult to use. Furthermore, Watery is an offensive Card,
so it's got quite a temper. The Cards you have now are Windy, Fly, and Shadow. They're no match for what we're facing. For instance, even if you used Windy, another high level magic, you can't go against Watery. That's
because Windy is too kind." explained Kero. Sakura's shoulders had been slumping throughout Kero's spontaneous lecture, and she felt her spirits take a sudden blow at his last words. She hadn't realized the difficulty in
what she was facing. Just Windy, Fly, Shadow, and her own wits. That was all she had.
(Eye Catch)'How? How? How?' over and over the word echoed through her mind as Sakura paced across the schoolgrounds. Unnoticed, Tomoyo followed in silence. 'To capture water,' murmured Sakura as she kneeled over to the fountain, watching
her reflection waver with the slight ripples. It was impossible. She broke the still surface and her image by plunging her hands into the liquid and scooping up a handful. But it leaked out between her fingers and she sat on the
edge of the fountain with a groan. "It is impossible, but I had to hurry up and capture that card!" whisphered Sakura.
"You don't look so cheerful right now, Sakura," Tomoyo evaluated, sitting next to her. "N-no, I'm fine." said Sakura smiling as she shook her head. Tomoyo took her hand and squeezed it gently. "It looks like a great challenge, so
typical for upholders of justice, has fallen on your shoulders." smilied Tomoyo. Sakura sighed and explained everything, the danger, Kero's warnings, all of it. "Oh my. So it's the fault of a Clow Card after all." sighed Tomoyo.
"Yeah, but Kero tells me that I can't catch it just yet." said Sakura sadly.
The two of them left school together that day, Tomoyo walking while Sakura skated at a sedate pace in front her. "Tomoyo." said Sakura turning around to talk to Tomoyo. "Hmm?" questioned Tomoyo. "Thanks for listening to my story."
smilied Sakura. "That smile is best on you, Sakura," Tomoyo announced, taking pleasure in the way Sakura's face split into a grin. "Oh yes, this is for you, Sakura. It's a new product from my mother's company." She was holding out
a slim cell phone. It was a pretty shade of pink, and decorated with a sun over the number pad. "This is yours, Sakura. And this one is for Kero." said Tomoyo giving her the cell phones. Sakura took both proffered phones, with a
little dazed. "Are you sure that I can borrow these?" asked Sakura. "Of course. My mother wants to know if they're easy to use, as well." smilied Tomoyo. Sakura couldn't believe how lucky she was, to have such a good friend that
could cheer her up. "Thanks for worrying about me." blushed Sakura a little. "I will see you tomorrow." said Tomoyo turning around. "See you then." said Sakura.
They parted company, and Sakura began skating faster on her way home. Her mind was still occupied with her problem. She'd suggested combining the three Cards, but Kero had shaken his head firmly. "No, no good. With just the Cards you
have, Sakura, it's no use no matter what you do." said Kero shaking his head. But the Watery Card was still there in the aquarium, just waiting for her. It was so frustrating. Her mind elsewhere, she wasn't really paying attention and
too late after turning the corner she saw that someone was directly in her path. She let out a shriek and tried to swerve, but her speed had been too great to fully control her direction. Her feet went out from under her and she knew
she was destined for a painful smack with the pavement, but then a pair of strong hands caught her. Her fall had been arrested in the nick of time.
"I'm sor -" She opened her eyes to see Yukito's worried face, and choked on her apology. "Oh! Are you all right?, Sakura?" asked Yukito. "Y-Yukito-san." He stood and helped her to her feet. "It's dangerous if you don't watch where you're
going." said Yukito letting go of her. "Yes. I'm sorry." said Sakura. His familiar smile returned to his face, as a way of showing her it was forgotten. "Thank you for those hot cakes yesterday. They were delicious." smilied Yukito.
"No, it's nothing." blushed Sakura. "You're out late today. Are you coming back from practice?" Seeing her puzzled expression, he elaborated. "I thought you were a member of the cheerleading squad." smilied Yukito. "Y-Yeah." said Sakura
looking down. "I heard from Toya, that he was hit by your baton while you were practicing at home." laughed Yukito. Sakura's face turned at a glare at that, humiliated. 'Just exactly what kind of things did her brother tell Yukito when
they were alone!?' thought Sakura with her fist up looking down.
"To say thanks for the hot cakes, would you like to go out for a nice meal with me sometime?" asked Yukito. Sakura was shocked out of her glare and smilied she blushed seeing Yukito's smile.
"Really!?" smilied Sakura. "I found a place that serves pretty good food. I'll meet you at the park tomorrow, at one." said Yukito putting his finger up. He was inviting her out with him! Just
the two of them! Sakura thought she might burst, but instead she just nodded. "Yes." smilied Sakura.
After that, she couldn't even feel her skates touching the pavement as she glided home. Everything was so indescribably wonderful and perfect; there was nothing wrong with the world, nothing at all.
Kero raised his eyebrows as she floated through the doorway, then shut it behind her and slid down against the wood until she was on the floor. "Yu-ki-to-san..." said Sakura dreamily.
"Not this again." said Kero floating over to her in mid-air. She paid him no attention, but let out a hysterical giggle before throwing herself onto her bed with her new phone in hand.
"Yes," Tomoyo's voice said after a few rings. "Daidouji residence. We can't come to the phone right now. Please leave a message after the beep." replied the answering machine. "Tomoyo-chan!
It's me, Sakura. I get to go on a date with Yukito-san tomorrow! I'm meeting him at one o'clock! I'm so happy! I'll call you again when I get back!" giggled Sakura as her feet waved up and down
while she laied on her bed. Then she hung up and, still ignoring Kero's nagging comments, buried her face into the pillow with a dreamy sigh. Tomorrow would never come fast enough.
(Tomorrow...)He was already there when she arrived, his hands in his pockets as he watched birds fly across the sky. She smoothed her skirt nervously - she'd spent all morning agonizing over what to wear - she
bowed, and he returned it. "Um, did I remember the meeting time wrong?" asked Sakura. "No, you're fifteen minutes early." smilied Yukito. "Oh, then Yukito-san-" started out Sakura. "I didn't want
to keep you waiting, Sakura, so I came really early." smilied Yukito brightly. That simple comment carried such consideration and tenderness that she felt her cheeks growing warm again, and her whole
body fluttering as if she might take off and fly. Paying absolutely no attention to where they were going, she was surprised when she finally found herself standing before the aquarium.
"This is..." started out Sakura. "That's right, Sakura, you came here the other day. Didn't you?" asked Yukito. He took her hand and led her up the steps. "We're going in here?" asked Sakura.
"That's right." smilied Yukito. She couldn't ask even if she wanted to, but allowed herself to be led past the sliding glass doors. "I get it. It's this aquarium. This is perfect! I can check
to see if there is a Clow Card here." said Kero, safe behind the cover a low tree, fluttered over Tomoyo's shoulder and flashed a conspiratorial grin before adjusting his sunglasses. Tomoyo
responded by adjusting her own, and pulled her cap down low over her braids. "And I can film Sakura-chan's first date on video!" They exchanged a quick high five, and Tomoyo raised her camera again.
"Let's go!" said Kero. "Yeah!" giggled Tomoyo.(Inside the Aquarium.)"That's a big fish," Yukito evaluated as the blue giant undulated leisurely past the glass. It was so huge it seemed to fill the viewing window, and Sakura felt her eyes growing bigger as she tried
to take it all in. "It really is." agreed Sakura. "I wonder if I could eat it?" said Yukito. "Wouldn't it be too much for one person?" asked Sakura. "I don't think it's too much." Sakura did, but she
didn't press the issue. Instead she leaned against the railing, sidling ever closer to his elbow. "Yeah..." said Sakura. "They're so relaxed," Tomoyo commented from behind the camera. "What, they're
not even gonna hold hands? Kids nowadays..." sighed Kero. A young child nearby caught sight of Kero shaking his head in disgust, and reached for Tomoyo's pocket with a grubby hand. "Plush toy!" he
shouted excitedly, and Kero bared his teeth."Young one," he growled, and the hand froze mid-passage. "You'll get hurt if you mess with me." The child's eyes popped open wide with surprise and fear, and scooted away from Kero. "Oh, they're on
the move," Tomoyo declared and walked away. "Farewell," Kero said ominously, the kid just gulped as they leaved.
"Amazing, Amazing, Amazing!" Sakura gushed, peering over the banister with delight all over her face. They were on a spiral walkway now, one that encircled a huge tank housing hundreds of multicolored fish.
"I couldn't see this room the last time I was here." smilied Sakura. "Oh, that's because of the accident at the penguin show. Then you didn't know there's a tea room here, did you? As you watch the pretty fish -"
Yukito caught sight of someone over the other side of the walkway and waved an arm. "Toya!" called out Yukito. Touya paused in setting drinks on a table and glanced up to see Yukito waving merrily. They were seated
at a table in a trice, and he pressed a menu into Sakura's hands. "Big Brother? Did you change jobs from where the penguins were?" asked Sakura. "They're going to drain all the water from the tanks and do an
inspection," he replied casually, readying his pen for their orders. Sakura was momentarily distracted from her bliss by that statement, however If the tanks were drained, then where would Watery -
"Aren't you glad you aren't working in the fridge anymore?" Yukito asked, and Touya grimaced. "Feed for the penguins is stored in a refrigerator," he explained to Sakura. "He said it was very cold." "It's basically
the same thing," Touya grunted. "Now I'm making snow-cones." "The strawberry milk snow-cones here are really delicious," Yukito confided to Sakura, who blinked in confusion. There was something about what he'd just
said that struck her as terribly important... though why she couldn't imagine. "So, can I have two of those?" asked Yukito. "Yes, Yes. Sure you don't want the extra large?" asked Touya writing down the order.
"Wait, there's an extra large?" asked Yukito."What?" Kero complained from the level above the restaurant. "It's a date with the family watching over 'em?" Tomoyo only shrugged, then frowned as she thought she heard a cracking sound. What was that? Unconsciously
she raised her camera, tracking upward until the magnified image on the screen revealed what no one else had seen yet. There was a hairline crack extending for a good deal up and down the side of the glass, growing wider
and longer even as she watched. Tomoyo felt a knot of dread twist in her stomach, but before she could even open her mouth to cry out a warning, the pressure became too much. With a loud shatter, the water burst out of the
glass, gushing like a waterfall into the midst of surprised patrons. "Sakura-chan!" cried out Tomoyo.
Sakura wasn't quite sure what had happened, only that she'd heard some terrified screams, and then a swimming pool had been upended directly over her. Instantly she was under the surface. It was so sudden that she hadn't had
the chance to take a good breath, and after a moment she pushed herself upward to seek air. Something tugged on her leg, keeping her down, and a ripple of shock when through her when she recognized the whirlpool tightening around
her ankle. It was Watery, and it was too strong for her to fight off.
Touya tore off his waiter's apron as he clawed his way to the surface. The water was everywhere, still rising, and panicked people were splashing to the stairs to escape the flood. He could see nothing of the two he'd just been serving.
"Sakura! Yuki!" called out Touya looking for them. Taking a deep breath, he prepared to submerge again. The water was filling up the small room far too quickly; it needed some kind of escape route to drain it off. By the unused emergency
door in the corner, someone smashed the glass barrier and withdrew an axe. With a few short, well-placed strokes, the axe bit through the door and it buckled. Water gushed through in a raging torrent, escaping in a river down the empty
stairwell, and the level subsided in the restaurant. The force trapping Sakura reluctantly let go, and flowed out with the rest of the water. Feeling faint, she splashed to the surface and took several gulping breaths.
"Sakura!" Her brother was taking her in his arms now, anxiously running hands over her face and chest to check her breathing and pulse. "Are you all right?" asked Touya. Somehow she managed a shaky nod, and he waded through the remaining
water to carry her up the stairs. "Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo dropped to a crouch beside her as Touya set her down, taking one of her hands and squeezing it. "Tomoyo. Wait, where's Yukito-san?" A sound made everyone look down again into the restaurant,
and Touya realized his friend was leaning nonchalantly against the handle of an axe in the meager pool.
"Hey, are you all right?" asked Touya walking over to his friend. "I thought I was gonna die," Sakura whispered to her friend. "Is this what we think it is?" Tomoyo inquired, and Kero pushed up her cap to peek out from underneath. "Yeah, it's the doings
of a Clow Card." said Kero. "Watery was here." said Sakura. "You saw it?" asked Kero. She nodded, unconsciously rubbing her ankle as she remembered that terrifying grip. It had been so strong... "By the way, what are you two doing here?" asked Sakura as
she pointed towards them both. At that they both gave a guilty cringe, and then Kero vanished back under Tomoyo's cap as Yukito climbed the stairs to kneel beside Sakura. "Are you all right, Sakura-chan?" asked Yukito. "Yes." blushed Sakura. "Those snow-
cones went to waste, didn't they?" She nodded bashfully at his gentle grin, then almost jumped when her brain made the connection. Finally, she'd realized why his earlier comments were so important. She startled him when she gripped the hem of his jacket
and clutched at it. "Yukito-san! Thank you very much!" cried Sakura happily. Yukito just gapped at her confused.
"Right now, they are two and a half games behind the leader..." The last of the cleaning crew walked past the front guard in his box, and raised a hand in lazy farewell. "Take care." "Good night," the guard responded, then immediately turned his attention
back to the little TV. He was deeply absorbed in the developments of the J-league, and never noticed the bobbing blue hat pass his office, just barely peeking over the edge of the window. Nor did he notice the little flying creature that followed it, or the
dark head behind that.
"Is it really gonna be all right?" Kero inquired anxiously. Sakura was hitting a fast pace now, running down the hall for all she was worth. Tomoyo they left behind, and slipped through an unmarked door to find the reserve water tanks. "Leave it to me," Sakura
assured him, and followed him to an open pool before they both came to a stop. "Here?" asked Kero. "This is where the magic feels strongest. It's here." Sakura nodded and pulled out her phone, pressing auto-dial. "Yes, Daidouji." answered Tomoyo on the phone.
"Did you find it?" asked Sakura. "Yes, First floor basement." said Tomoyo. "All right. Then hide somewhere." said Sakura taking one last moment to smooth her jester costume's skirt, Sakura leapt to the edge of the pool with her staff raised. "Watery! Come get
me if you can!" said Sakura twriling her staff for a moment then stopped and waited. Nothing happened at first. But then even Sakura could feel the stirrings of power beneath her, of an explosive force getting ready to unleash itself upon her. She stepped back
just before a geyser erupted in front of them. "Stand back, Kero-chan! Fly!" said Sakura.
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